How I Met My Best Friend, Girlfriend, Maybe
by Princess Angel Rose
Summary: Fred has often thought and now he knows why he always pairs up with Daphne. Finally it was the right time to tell her. Two chapters.
1. The Reasons Why

**A/N: I recorded Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost and have watched it multiple times in the past week. This involves my two favorite parts of the movie: when Velma asks Fred why he always pairs off with Daphne and when they're trailing the Hex Girls and he tries to explain himself as she kind of leans in to kiss him. And I don't own any of it, by the way.**

Velma had been teasing when she asked why Fred always paired up with Daphne when they split up for a mystery but the thought stuck in Fred's head for a simple reason. He had often wondered about that too.

In the beginning he had written it off as protectiveness. That was how it was with Velma and he more often grouped the three of them than just him and Daphne. He had met Velma first of the group and she was like his little sister. It fit how they had met. He had teased her for being a brainiac but then beat up the other kids in the sand-box for calling her four-eyes.

He wasn't being entirely in denial when he said that. He _did_ want to protect Daphne. But it was more than that. He _needed _to protect her. He didn't know what he'd do without her. And upon further examination of that declaration he realized that it wasn't just that he didn't know what he'd do if she died, it was how lost he'd be if she simply left.

At first he thought it was partly caused by the way they had met. He met Shaggy soon after Velma, thanks to Scooby running into him, and they had quickly become buds, daring each other and doing things together that could be considered stupid but was really just dangerous, even with a purpose in mind.

That was how he met Daphne. He and Shaggy were ten and they climbed the twenty foot oak in the park. Actually, _they_ didn't climb it. Shaggy and Scooby climbed while Fred spotted them from the foot of it. He did his job well for, when Shaggy fell out of the top branches, Fred broke his fall. They were laying there when a well-dressed red-headed girl approached and stood over them.

"Shaggy? Scooby? What are you doing?"

Fred gazed up past the bodies pushing themselves off of him into the face of an angel. After pulling the boy and his dog off of Fred, she crouched down beside him and asked if he was all right before helping him to his feet.

"Like, Daphne, what are you doing here?" Shaggy asked, and Fred let the name roll around in his mind. Daphne. He liked it.

"My daddy went out of the country so my nanny brought me here to play. What were you doing in a tree?"

"Freddy here dared me to climb it. I'm okay. But, like, it's gonna hurt in the morning."

"Reah," Scooby pitched in. Daphne giggled.

"Well next time don't take dares. It's nice to meet you Freddy."

He had just chuckled nervously and tried to make conversation. It turned out she had met Velma ages ago and Shaggy and his pup through the genius girl. The five had grown up together and, as they grew older, it became obvious who were the closest in the group. Velma and Daphne were girlfriends and Velma eventually showed signs of liking Shaggy in a more-than-friends way. Shaggy and Scooby were so close that they'd do anything for each other, and Fred found he was still good friends with Shaggy. But he discovered that his best friend was the red haired angel. The one he couldn't lose, the one he needed to survive, the one that he had fallen in love with.

And these were all of the reasons that he always paired off with her. Because he wanted to be near her and he needed to know that she was safe.

**A/N: I wasn't sure, but I think that's a good place to stop. There is going to be one more chapter, which I hope to get up by tomorrow at the latest. **


	2. It's Time

**A/N:** **I still don't own it.**

Velma examined the piece of fabric she had found inside the old mansion and exclaimed "Jinkies!" at her find. She thought for a few minutes before saying, "I just need a few more clues and then I'll have this mystery about wrapped up."

Fred nodded and said his standard phrase. "Time to split up gang. You three go investigate the greenhouse and Daphne and I'll check the attic." He fought it off but he couldn't help how red he became as Velma smiled teasingly. What he didn't know was that Daphne was wearing a blush identical to his own. Velma winked at him as she and the other two walked in the opposite direction of their friends.

"C'mon, Daphe," Fred suggested gently, putting a hand softly on her back as he led her to the attic they had agreed to investigate. "Let's go."

She only nodded but was a bit preoccupied when they got to their searching place. When Fred asked what was wrong, she shook her head, barely paying attention, until she looked up and into his eyes.

"Freddy, what were you going to say to me? You know, when we were tailing the Hex Girls for clues?"

He took a deep breath and moved to stand in front of her. "Daphne, there's never really been a time to tell you this, but I really think you should hear it, and not from Shaggy at the rate I've been going, but…" He was rambling, something he was famed for doing when he was nervous. Daphne was smiling. If she made any other boy nervous it annoyed her because it was usually just because of her looks or her money. With Fred, she loved seeing him flustered. Not only was he cute that way, but she liked that she had caused his anxiety. It made her feel special around him.

"C'mon Fred," she cut him off. "There's nothing to be nervous about. It's just little ol' me." She batted her eyelashes a couple times and Fred gulped. How _did_ she do that?

"You're not _just_ anything any more, Daph. You haven't been for a while," he mumbled. No matter how low he said it, she heard anyway, and her gaze pressed him on. "Daphne," he began. "We've known each other for a while now, and…well you see Shaggy and Velma and how close they've become. You're my best friend, but…I think I've fallen in love with you."

Daphne's eyes widened. That wasn't what she was expecting. She had expected him to say that he liked her or had a crush on her or even something bad like that "Danger-prone Daphne" needed him to protect her. Love? This was fast.

But that didn't mean it was bad.

"Freddy," she had to ask, "When did this happen?"

He shook his head and, glumly, said, "I don't know. I didn't know it was happening until too late. All I know is that you were missing once and I was just as worried about you as I would be about Velma and then the next time, I was panicking and I knew I'd do anything to get you back."

That explained a lot. It seemed that it was usually Fred who found her and, if it wasn't, he would sprint from wherever he was the moment he heard where she was. Whenever she got hurt, he was the first one kneeling by her side, the first to help her up or to bandage a cut. The only time she had been in a hospital for more than two days he had stayed almost the entire time, leaving only once when she was awake and gave him the go-ahead, and then only for fifteen minutes. He loved her.

She took a few minutes to settle into that thought before discovering that she liked it very much. It was so secure and comfortable. It was safe. Fred was one of the most consistent people she knew and he was the most stable. If he said he loved her, he had thought a long time about that very thought. He might do something suddenly, but he always thought about what he said, even if it sounded crazy. It always made sense to him.

Unfortunately, the timing was off. They heard footsteps coming up the attic stairway and, as they turned, they saw the very creature they had been trying to solve. Fred yelled to run and Daphne turned to do just that but she tripped over a box and the creature stood over her with a huge imposing shadow. Daphne screamed and Fred jumped in front of her, taking a bat he had found and knocking the creature to the side. He fell into the wall and got stuck there but Fred paid him no mind. "I guess that wasn't the best time," he chuckled nervously as he stooped down next to her. As he took her arm to pull her to her feet, she laughed.

"No Freddy, the timing was perfect." She stood on her tip-toes and kissed his cheek before saying, "I love you too."

Alerted by the crash, the others in the gang came rushing up and Velma unmasked the villain. Fred and Daphne were each too busy eyeing the other from the corners of their eyes to notice who it was and on the way home they sat next to each other, like usual, and Daphne occasionally brushed her fingertips over his arm. It had been time, and Fred was happy that he had taken the opportunity. At last, Daphne was his girlfriend, and she'd always be his best friend.


End file.
